June 2004 Respiratory Care

For Immediate Release

IRVING, TX (May 11, 2004) – The July issue of Respiratory Care is a must-read for anyone interested in remaining on the cutting edge of respiratory care practice.

Based on presentations made during the 19th Annual American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) New Horizons Symposium held at the 2003 AARC International Respiratory Congress in Las Vegas, this special issue of the journal focuses on “Integrating Evidence-Based Respiratory Care into Clinical Practice.”

The issue kicks off with an overview of evidence-based respiratory care by Dean R. Hess, PhD, RRT, FAARC, assistant director of respiratory care at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

“The principles of evidence-based medicine provide the tools to incorporate the best evidence into everyday practice,” says Dr. Hess. “Evidence-based medicine is the integration of individual clinical expertise with the best available research evidence from systematic research and the patient's values and expectations.”

In the articles that follow, leading respiratory therapists and physicians explore specific disease states and practices and their relationship to evidence-based medicine. Topics include:

Evidence-based asthma management
The effectiveness of respiratory care protocols
Evidence-based management of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome
The evidence for noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the care of patients with acute respiratory failure
Management of acute respiratory failure in acute exacerbations of COPD
Evidence-based ventilator weaning and discontinuation guidelines

Joining Dr. Hess as authors are Richard D. Branson, MS, RRT, FAARC, and Jay A. Johannigman, MD, FACS, Col USAFR, from The University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH; James K. Stoller, MD, MS, FAARC, from the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH; and Scott K. Epstein, MD, FCCP, and Greg L. Schumaker, MD, from Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, MA.

Also, Thomas J. Kallstrom, RRT, AE-C, FAARC, from Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, OH; Richard H. Kallet, MS, RRT, FAARC, from the University of California at San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco, CA; and Neil R. MacIntyre, MD, FAARC, from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC.

In a special article on “Translating Clinical Research into Clinical Practice in the ICU: The Central Role of Respiratory Care,” Gordon D. Rubenfeld, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle , reprises his Donald F. Egan Lecture at the Congress, which informed respiratory therapists of the crucial part they play in taking medical advances from the pages of scientific journals to the patient's bedside.

Dr. Rubenfeld sums up this groundbreaking topic and what it means to respiratory therapists everywhere, “It's a particularly exciting time to be a respiratory care practitioner . . . we are at the dawn of an exciting era of evidence-based critical care that is being led by evidence on respiratory care.”

Respiratory Care is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and listed in Index Medicus. The AARC is a professional membership organization of respiratory therapists dedicated to respiratory therapy education and research. Among its goals are to advocate on behalf of pulmonary patients for appropriate access to respiratory services provided by qualified professionals and to benefit respiratory health care providers.

		Evidence-Based Medicine Highlights July Issue of Respiratory Care For Immediate Release IRVING, TX (May 11, 2004) – The July issue of Respiratory Care is a must-read for anyone interested in remaining on the cutting edge of respiratory care practice. Based on presentations made during the 19th Annual American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) New Horizons Symposium held at the 2003 AARC International Respiratory Congress in Las Vegas, this special issue of the journal focuses on “Integrating Evidence-Based Respiratory Care into Clinical Practice.” The issue kicks off with an overview of evidence-based respiratory care by Dean R. Hess, PhD, RRT, FAARC, assistant director of respiratory care at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. “The principles of evidence-based medicine provide the tools to incorporate the best evidence into everyday practice,” says Dr. Hess. “Evidence-based medicine is the integration of individual clinical expertise with the best available research evidence from systematic research and the patient's values and expectations.” In the articles that follow, leading respiratory therapists and physicians explore specific disease states and practices and their relationship to evidence-based medicine. Topics include: Evidence-based asthma management The effectiveness of respiratory care protocols Evidence-based management of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome The evidence for noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the care of patients with acute respiratory failure Management of acute respiratory failure in acute exacerbations of COPD Evidence-based ventilator weaning and discontinuation guidelines Joining Dr. Hess as authors are Richard D. Branson, MS, RRT, FAARC, and Jay A. Johannigman, MD, FACS, Col USAFR, from The University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH; James K. Stoller, MD, MS, FAARC, from the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH; and Scott K. Epstein, MD, FCCP, and Greg L. Schumaker, MD, from Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, MA. Also, Thomas J. Kallstrom, RRT, AE-C, FAARC, from Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, OH; Richard H. Kallet, MS, RRT, FAARC, from the University of California at San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco, CA; and Neil R. MacIntyre, MD, FAARC, from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. In a special article on “Translating Clinical Research into Clinical Practice in the ICU: The Central Role of Respiratory Care,” Gordon D. Rubenfeld, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle , reprises his Donald F. Egan Lecture at the Congress, which informed respiratory therapists of the crucial part they play in taking medical advances from the pages of scientific journals to the patient's bedside. Dr. Rubenfeld sums up this groundbreaking topic and what it means to respiratory therapists everywhere, “It's a particularly exciting time to be a respiratory care practitioner . . . we are at the dawn of an exciting era of evidence-based critical care that is being led by evidence on respiratory care.” Respiratory Care is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and listed in Index Medicus. The AARC is a professional membership organization of respiratory therapists dedicated to respiratory therapy education and research. Among its goals are to advocate on behalf of pulmonary patients for appropriate access to respiratory services provided by qualified professionals and to benefit respiratory health care providers. Contact: Kris Williams AARC Communications Manager (972) 406-4690, Williams@aarc.org

Evidence-Based Medicine Highlights July Issue of Respiratory Care